Friday, July 29, 2005

Phone Banks

Always in use.

I did a little research on cell phone coverage.

Verizon and Nextel have set up additional towers for jamboree coverage. I've seen their portable towers around. They call them "cells on wheels" (COW). Verizon has 3. Nextel has a permanent tower on base but added 1 COW

Cingular chose not to set up supplemental towers. Coverage is only within the peripheral areas of the Jamboree near their standard towers located in the civilian countryside. I'm using a GSM phone to send text and pictures but I've noticed other Cingular phones with full bars where I often have none. The other Cingular owners didn't know what cell phone technology their phone used but I suspect is was not GSM and accessing the COW towers. Our campsite has coverage but you have to walk around like the Verizon guy and find the "sweet spots". Most areas of the Jamboree have no Cingular coverage at all so I take photos and upload them later when I'm back at camp.